Say It!

I think we have been having one of the most golden, beautiful Autumns this year.

Say It!

Charlotte Zolotow

pictures by James Stevenson 1980

Absolutely lovely book about Autumn, the beauty and magic of nature and the love a mother has for her daughter.  Charlotte Zolotow is a premier children's author.  So many of her books are just beautifully written, simple but full of deep emotion.  In this one a mother and daughter take a meandering walk through an Autumn filled world.  The daughter keeps emploring the mother to "Say it!" but while the mother rhapsodizes about the nature around them... 

"It's magic," said her mother.  "It's a golden, shining, spendiferous day!"

It's not what the daughter is wanting to hear.  As they make their way back to the house, where their father has made a cozy fire for them to return to, the mother finally says what the daughter has been waiting for all along.  If this book doesn't end with you scooping up your child and hugging them, I don't know what will!

Although I like James Stevenson, he would not have been my first choice as illustrator for this book.  Yet somehow his loose almost messy illustrations have a beauty I wasn't expecting and fit perfectly.

In a Dark Dark Room

In a Dark Dark Room

an Other Scary Stories

Alvin Schwartz

pictures by Dirk Zimmer 1984

This was the first "scary" story book most of us read as kids.  And who could forget the stories- especially the one about the girl with the green ribbon around her neck!  It's a fun one to pull out at Halloween.

 

Through the Tempests Dark and Wild

 

Through the Tempests Dark and Wild

A Story of Mary Shelley Creator of Frankenstein

Sharon Darrow 

illustrated by Angela Barrett 2005

This was an interesting story about Mary Shelley and her time spent in Scotland with Robert and Isabel Baxter.  After her father remarries, Mary is sent away to ease the tension between her and her stepmother.  Sharon Darrow explores the idea that the seeds for Mary's most famous work, Frankenstein, were planted when she was a young teenager exploring the rough Scottish countryside and telling ghost stories with her friends.  I particularly liked the pairing with Angela Barrett's moody silhouettes.  

More Tales to Tremble By

More Tales to Tremble By

edited by Stephen P. Sutton 1968

illustrated by Gordon Laite 

An excellent collection of scary stories, some quite horrifying for those of us with intense imaginations!  Even the introduction is enticing.  

"Is this your time of night?  Are you most comfortable near midnight, when the shadows darken in the corners and the wind mutters through the eaves?"

Also it was a nice Gordon Laite to add to our collection.

Mister Rogers' Song Book

Mister Rogers' Song Book

Fred Rogers

illustrated by Steven Kellogg 1967

piano arrangements by John Costa

Our church has a cart with "free books" on it and one Sunday this one came home with us.  We had no idea just how great it would be!  Charlotte loves playing the songs on the piano and it turns out they are quite musically complicated.  I grew up with Mr. Rogers so all these songs are enjoyably nostalgic.   It was also a fun surprise to see that Steven Kellogg did the illustrations!

 Here is a fantastic little video including Johnny Costa the jazz pianist who played the songs and was the music director for the show.

Mr. Rogers' music was way more intricate than you remember.

Mousekin's Golden House

Looking for a warm, cozy Autumn story?

Mousekin's Golden House

Edna Miller 1987

Little Mousekin has never seen a Jack-o-lantern before.  But soon it becomes his hideaway and house.  He likes his new golden room and the jaggedy smile of the jack-o-lantern scares off any predators.   When the weather gets colder, phoebe and chipmunk warn Mousekin that his house won't do when the winter winds blow.  But they are wrong!

The Biggest Popcorn Party Ever in Center County

The Biggest Popcorn Party Ever in Center County

Jane Hoober Peifer

photographs by Marilyn Peifer Nolt 1987

 This might very well be one of the funniest (oddest) books that we own!  Created with photographs of the most ridiculous looking dolls, the story is pretty benign but the pictures are hilarious!  The author is a Mennonite and native of Lancaster, PA., and the story definitely feels reflective of her background.  I might also have a warm spot for this book because of my 1980's church upbringing too!

Martha and Henry work hard on their popcorn farm.  Inspired by the pastor's Sunday morning sermon and a freak fire that has popped their corn, they invite all their friends to share in eating their crop.  It's not the story that makes me love this book, but rather the dolls (I suspect made from nylons) and their various poses.    

(I copied this picture and put it in Charlotte's lunch as a silly surprise!)